Mr. Assman Has Last Laugh Over Denial Of Vanity Plates

If you live in Canada, chances are high the government will deny your custom license plate application because your name might be inappropriate for someone. For example, some two years ago, Lorne Grabher from Nova Scotia was denied vanity tags with his last name, and now another similar case from Saskatchewan emerges.

Meet railroad worker David Assman (which is pronounced OSS-men) of Melville, Saskatchewan, who made his first attempt to put his last name on a vanity plate in the final decade of the last century but got it rejected as “profanity.” Recently, he filled a new application but was denied again because of his name being “offensive, suggestive or not in good taste.”

“I think they are too worried that people are going to have hurt feelings about something that is complete nonsense. Even if it wasn’t my last name who is it going to hurt,” David Assman commented to the National Post.

Assman’s name is German in origin and comes from David’s great-great-grandfather. It is believed Assman derives from “ash” but, apparently, that doesn’t mean much to the local government.

“Even if a word is someone’s name and pronounced differently than the offensive version, that’s not something that would be apparent to other motorists who will see the plate,” Saskatchewan Government Insurance spokesman, Tyler McMurchy, said.

Finally, after being denied once more, Assman decided he would make a large replica of the Saskatchewan’s license plates with his name on it and put it on the tailgate of his truck. David Assman is now a hit over social media with people admiring his decision to stand up for himself. Who’s laughing now?